A victim of adventurous exploration on the edge of its nest, this newborn starling was quick to learn to eat independently and be released back into the wild after rehabilitation at Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society.
Introduced from Europe by the American Acclimatization Society in 1890, these smart birds quickly adapted to life throughout North America, and multiplied rapidly, although there has been a major decline in their numbers in recent years.
Urban scavengers of all things insect, their murmurations are recorded and can be observed on YouTube.
The British, being some of the keenest bird watchers in the world, love to record the phenomenon, so there are some great murmurations to marvel at on the video-sharing website.
A murmuration is when starlings move in and out of shapes in perfect synchronicity, seemingly without a leader and as one body.
Contributed photo
